The Rogers Cup

When I first applied to be a Rogers Cup volunteer back in June, I had little hope that I would be roaming the grounds of York University in August, because I had missed all the important deadlines. But luck would have it that in July, a few spots opened up and I was pulled off the waitlists. After going through the orientation and getting the free tickets and the uniforms, I felt pretty excited about the tournament.

Then, I had a job for a month. Before I knew it, August 15th was here. On opening Saturday, I went to visit the grounds with one of my friends. Then, the following morning, I was on my first shift, as an usher on Grandstand, the largest court outside of Rexall Centre. Sitting in the sun all day, I got ridiculously tanned, but the tennis was great.

On Opening Night on the 17th, I was there again for my second shift. It was just an amazing atmosphere. Then on Wednesday night, I went with a friend just to kick up our feet and watch tennis. Serena played that night and she won. Ivanovic also played that night and she lost.

Thursday night was probably the wildest of all my shifts. With ominous clouds bearing down on Rexall Centre, I was tucked safely inside the Tennis Canada offices. And then came the wind, the funnel, and then a tornado. Though the tornado wasn't near us, the funnel was still visible from the stadium and due to that, everybody was evacuated indoors. Still, just shortly before 9, tennis was back on. That night, I also squeegeed a tennis court for the first time.

Thursday night, I came home at 1 in the morning. Friday morning, I had to catch a morning shift. On Saturday, I brought my parents along for the day session and a couple of my best buddies for the night session. That was a ton of fun.

Now today, it hit me how fast this tournament went by and how much fun I had. I'm a pretty nostalgic person by nature, and I'm going to miss volunteering at the Rogers Cup. It was so cool to see the teamwork from all the volunteers. And of course, seeing what makes the tennis happen over these 9 days-you know, the behind the scenes stuff.

I caught about 20 matches over the course of this week, including most of today's two finals. I also scored a few tennis balls, two tennis bottles left over from Dementieva's practice, sat in an umpire's chair, and stepped onto Centre Court. For now, I can only say that I can't wait to come back next year!

-D

Unboltlievable

9.58!

9.58!

9.58!

We need new adjectives to describe what Usain Bolt did in Berlin a couple days ago. To run 9.58 is one thing-and it's a darn incredible thing at that. But to shave 0.11 seconds off the world record is quite another. This is track and field, not swimming, and that kind of thing just does not happen everyday.

Tyson Gay, the man that proclaimed he could break Bolt's old record of 9.69 ran a formidable 9.71 behind Bolt. I wonder what kind of impact it has on a runner with someone as fast as Bolt up ahead. Does it make him go faster? If so, by how much? I really doubt that Gay could ever break Bolt's 9.58 but I do think Bolt will probably lower that mark at least once if not more during the course of his career. Important note for Bolt: KEEP HEALTHY!

And last but certainly not least, look what I wrote on this blog on January 2 of this year, as part of my 10 big sports predictions of 2009: "4. Usain Bolt will break his own World Record in the 100 M Sprint...again. Do I dare say at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin?"Accurate or what?

-D

Photo Credit: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2009/8/16/1250457586230/Usain-Bolt-and-100-metres-001.jpg

A Metre Away

Today, I was down at the Rogers Cup at the Rexall Centre. It was free family weekend, and I have volunteering there starting tomorrow, so I felt I might as well check out the grounds.

It was a beautiful day first of all, a little bit hot, but sunny nonetheless. I had a lot of fun, with my friend Harry. Took tons of pics on Centre Court, watched a three set, somewhat exciting qualifying match and we went out for a stroll.

That's where we ran into a crowd of people. Ana Ivanovic was being ushered from one practice court to another. Maria Sharapova was coming out of the court that Ivanovic was going into. A golf cart was waiting to transport Sharapova somewhere else. A huge line formed to see her in person/ask for autographs.

Harry and I didn't get good spots for that one and we ended up with a couple mediocre pics. (We didn't have a pen or anything.) After watching Ivanovic practice, we crowded around the exit as she came out. Security tried desperately, to no avail, to get us into two lines. Then, they had to whisk her away whilst trying to control the crowd. Now, I got a couple really good pics of that scene (check 'em out!).

Overall, it was a great day. I can't wait to get to the volunteering part of it!

-D

Walk Off!

As the ball sailed over Nolan Reimold's head, the entire stadium stood up and cheered for Adam Lind. The Jays finally won a game. The whole team jumped onto the field. For a moment there, it did feel like we were back in 1993.

I was sitting in the upper deck for this one, in the first row, hoping that a foul ball would somehow come my way. It didn't, but it was nice to be with the other 28 000 fans reveling in a much needed celebration.

When I walked into the stadium, it was sunny. There was no action out on the field. I was disappointed. But about 15 minutes later, the Orioles started taking their BP hacks. During the course of BP, I got O's pitching coach Rick Kranitz to toss a ball up from the bullpen. It was a homer that landed there earlier. I had another shot at a ball when a homer hit the seats and bounced one row behind me. There was a three man scramble, and I lost. Nonetheless, I was happy to have my 10th career Major League baseball in tow.

With the threat of rain looming for the afternoon, the roof on the Rogers Centre closed during the 5th inning. The game itself, great. Brian Roberts injured his ankle on a foul ball. Brett Cecil strained his knee chasing a bunt. O's manager Dave Trembley had a heated argument with home plate umpire Cedarstrom but kept his seat in the dugout. Rios hit a bomb. And Adam Lind put the icing on the cake.

Great day to be at the ballpark!

-D

Rolen for Encarnacion

Has JP gone out of his mind?

Scott Rolen...arguably our best hitter right now, has been traded to the Cincinatti Reds for who? Edwin Encarnacion? Some career .267 hitter and a couple mediocre pitchers?

I'm sorry, but I just don't see the point of this. I seriously think JP Ricciardi isn't taking his job seriously and his record of consistent lapses in judgment is evidence of that. If the Jays want to become a competitive team, they need to get rid of JP. His skills are no where near Theo Epstein's or Pat Gillick's. He just doesn't know how to play the game.

Otherwise, Peavy to the White Sox...should be fun to watch how he carries them. Orlando Cabrera to the Twins. Victor Martinez to the Red Sox. Looks like the Indians are in serious rebuilding mode now.

David Ortize tested positive for steroids? I'm frankly not surprised at all. How else does a guy go suddenly from 10 home runs over the first few years to 31 homers in one year? I hope he handles it with class, but really, like I've always been stressing, baseball needs to look forwards, not backwards and I really hope Ortiz is clean now.

-D

The TTC Student Card Policy Petition

I'm currently trying to convince the Toronto Transit Commission to change their policy on the Student Discount Card.

Click on the URL to sign our petition: The TTC Student Card Policy Petition

Here's the actual text of the petition:

To: Mr. Adam Giambrone, Chair of the TTC
Mr. Joe Mihevc, Vice-Chair of the TTC
Members of the TTC Commission Board

In our society, there are few causes more noble than that of serving the people.

In our beloved City of Toronto, there are few organizations that serve more people than the Toronto Transit Commission.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is one of the busiest transit systems in North America, serving more than 1.5 million riders daily. That amounts to nearly half a billion every year. The TTC charges $2.75 for regular adult fare, but fortunately, it has a reduced price for the benefit of students aged 13-19, who pay only $1.85. No doubt, this attracts a huge number of secondary school riders. In 2002, the number of riders paying student fare was 10 700 per day. However, the TTC also has a policy requiring all who pay student fare to carry a "TTC Student Discount Card". If they do not have one, students are required to pay adult fare. These Discount Cards are available for $5, and must be renewed annually. It does not apply to Seniors, who can pay the same reduced fare with a valid Photo ID.

While we are grateful for the student discount from the TTC, the policy of the Discount Card is, in our view, preposterous. There are many other forms of identification that the TTC could accept as proof of age, including but not limited to: School Photo ID, Driver's License, and Health Card. Also, by only requiring students to buy a Discount Card, the TTC is cultivating a culture of cynicism, subtly suggesting mistrust in our age group.

In addition, the TTC is a crown corporation. Its foremost goal should not be to make profits, but instead, serve the people of Toronto to the best of its ability.

Therefore, we, the undersigned riders of the TTC, propose the following OPTIONS for the Commission to consider:

1. Eliminate the TTC Student Discount Card and accept a valid, updated School Photo ID as proof-of-age.

This option has already been adopted by most transit commissions in the Greater Toronto Area: York Region, Durham Region, Mississauga, Oakville, and on GoTransit. Furthermore, many, many major North American cities have a similar policy, including, but not limited to: Windsor, North Bay, Halifax, Dallas, Denver, Calgary, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

2. Issue the TTC Student Discount Card, for free, for all students.

This option would show that the TTC is serious about attracting student riders. Again, this type of policy exists in many North American cities, including, but not limited to: Hamilton, Houston, and Vancouver. We believe that a slight change, such as in one of the two options above, will make the entire system work more conveniently and efficiently.

Not only is the card unnecessary, it is tarnishing the image of the TTC as a money-grabbing corporation. Students are in near unanimous agreement that the process of getting this card is simply a waste of time and it is clear that the cons of this policy greatly outweigh the pros. The change we are seeking will not create unforeseeable consequences.

Therefore, we implore the TTC to do what would serve the people right.

There is no cause more noble than that!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Hope you'll support our cause!!

-Danny

What's Better than a No Hitter...

A PERFECT GAME!!!!!!!!

That's exactly what Mark Buerhle hurled yesterday, in front of a delirious crowd at US Cellular Field. The first reaction I got when I read it in the paper this morning was: didn't that guy pitch a no-hitter already? Yes he did, and so he becomes only the 6th player ever to have pitched a no-no and a perfecto.

No hitters are rare, but they still happen once or twice a year. But perfect games have only been pitched 18 times in Major League history. That is elite company indeed!

I can't imagine what it's like to be in the stands during that game, as each batter was mowed down. Like I said, the fans went delirious after the final out. I would be too if I was there! I remember watching Dustin McGowan carry a no-hitter into the ninth inning in Toronto a couple years ago. The emotions I felt, the emotion of watching history...there's nothing to describe it. It's why I love baseball!

Congrats to Mark Buerhle! He got a call from the President. How cool is that?

-D

World Aquatic Championships

The swimmers and divers have finally gotten their time on mainstream media with the commencement of the World Aquatic Championships in Rome, Italy

This weekend and into mid next week, the divers will be going at it in the pool. Since this is the World's, there are 1 m, 3 m and 10 m events. China is NOT going to sweep the golds in Rome, because they've already lost a couple to the Russians and Mexicans. I do hope the Chinese do well though. The Canadians, led by Alexandre Despatie have already won a bronze (10 m men's synchro). Another highlight to watch will be Tom Daley, the 15 year old from Team GB. Always loved the guy's style, and combined with his age, int'l competitions with him are always interesting.

The Blue Jays won behind Doc Halladay this afternoon in a quick game, final score being 3-1. We are still below .500 right now and I think the team's performance between now and the trade deadline will really determine whether Halladay stays or goes. I would love to see him at least complete the season here in Toronto!

I have an orientation session for volunteering at the Rogers Cup of tennis in Toronto next month. That should be an amazing experience, though I do prefer to see the men in action though. Nonetheless, I've nothing to complain about.

-D